Apple TV+ is the home of many excellent original television shows like The Morning Show, Ted Lasso, Dickinson, and Shrinking. But if you are looking for an action-packed show full of comedy, drama, and spies, you need to check out Slow Horses. Slow Horses is based on the Slough House book series by Mick Herron, which follows the stories of MI5 rejects once they are sent to Slough House, or “administrative purgatory,” after failing a mission. The purpose of Slough House is to get agents to either quit or retire early due to the mundane work and miserable boss Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman). But, the disgraced agents soon find themselves caught up in a dangerous investigation. Just N Life was able to sit down with Slow Horses actor Ruth Bradley and learn about her connection with her character Emma Flyte and her experience coming onto the show for season 4. Bradley plays Emma, the new leader of the “Dogs” — the internal affairs and ruthless tactical unit — who has been brought on due to the previous leader’s grave injury in season 3.
Interview With Ruth Bradley From Slow Horses
Just N Life: You did an amazing job this season as Emma. What was it like coming onto the show for the fourth season and being thrown right into the story?
Ruth Bradley: I was amazing really because she was such a well-drawn character. I was just so excited to get stuck in and start playing her. That by the time we got to set I was reading and raring to go and everybody is so warm and welcoming coming from Gary [Oldman] all the way down that I kind of forgot very quickly, like within a few minutes, that I was the newbie on a set because everyone just welcomed me with open arms, from the crew to every member of the cast. They’re a great bunch.
JNL: What was it like playing the head of the “Dogs”? We liked your character because she was very complicated and had dimension to her, which is especially nice when you’re playing, not the “villain villain,” but definitely not the hero.
RB: Yes, great question. I suppose it was great because no one sees themselves as the villain either. In Emma’s case she’s like the goody in this story and she doesn’t really know the people she’s dealing with and I think she walks in expecting that she is on the good side, you know, she’s an MI5 agent at this amazing role in MI5 and she’s a trailblazer and she’s the first woman in this position and she’s paving the way for the younger generation of women and doing it for the sisterhood. Then she comes up against Taverner [Deputy Director General of MI5, played by Kristin Scott Thomas] who she has usually admired but maybe isn’t really on her side, she’s like “hang on this is not how I was expecting this to play out” and it turns out that maybe the slow horses are kind of genuine or something. So, she goes through a real journey emotionally throughout, trying to figure out who she can trust.
JNL: What was it like working in an action role?
RB: It was great, like amazing. I have never done anything quite that action-heavy. What was so brilliant about Adam [Randall], the director, was once it got to shooting that big action sequence he was like “and now feel it and now make it emotional.” So the dance of the action and I did all weights training and had my muscles and knew what I was doing but actually then could just do my acting which is my favorite thing. I’m not an athlete, so I was like “oh great now I know these moves so now I can just be in the terror of trying to stay alive in this awful situation.”
Season 4 of Slow Horses is streaming now on Apple TV+.
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